| Brian Carlton. 18th October, 2005 - 7:39 pm
 We’ve all seen the blueprint. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The Detroit Lions came across as a strong team with a solid foundation. Just one problem. There’s a glitch in the plans. Something that can be fixed, but hasn’t been. Instead the cracks have grown and now are threatening the entire building. Simply put, Joey Harrington has to go.
Every team has a problem child they struggle with, although it’s doubtful few have one so decent and intelligent. It’s not that Harrington is a bad guy, out partying all night long. But nice guys who can’t cut it on the field watch football, they don’t play it. On paper, the Lions should be locked and loaded. Three quality wide receivers, all of which have the talent to one day make the Pro Bowl. A durable tailback who can block and a Pro Bowl tight end who is used to catching balls from Peyton Manning. This isn’t rocket science, but Joey does his best to prove that it is. And the sickness is spreading.
Balls are being dropped. Routes aren’t being run. Linemen aren’t blocking. And players aren’t tackling. The final straw had to be on Sunday however, to be literally beaten by a team with no running game and a defense that, up til then, had been anything but Super Bowl material. The quarterback is supposed to be the leader of the offense. If they don’t believe in him, it’s time for a pink slip and a paycheck on the unemployment line. You do that or else write off the season. People actually celebrated the fact Harrington passed for over 200 yards on Sunday. 201 yards, one interception and no touchdowns. This was a good day, supposedly showing that he got the system. No touchdowns and he had a good day? Detroit’s only two touchdowns came from Jake Delhomme, the Carolina quarterback. Without those two, it’s not just a loss but a blowout.
That’s what’s sad about this whole deal. This team has too much firepower to be paper lions. With the right person at the helm, the offense could actually score some points and win games. Texans quarterback David Carr would kill to have that many weapons around him. Even Eli’s Giants aren’t as stacked as the Lions are.
Jeff Garcia isn’t physically ready. He probably won’t be for at least another couple of weeks. Which means that the reins will be turned over to rookie Dan Orlovsky, who has all of one game experience in the NFL. Still, at 6-5 and weighing 236lbs. it’s not like he’ll be an easy target for defenders to knock down. When you take a look at the scouting report, Orlovsky has everything that you want in a QB. “Good velocity on his passes, throws a tight spiral and stands in the pocket even when he knows he’ll get hit”. That was from this year’s NFL Draft showcase, where he was compared to Ben Roethlisberger. Plus, take a look at his college stats. Starting for a team not known as a football powerhouse, he put up 84 touchdowns and only 40 interceptions. Compare that to 40 and 14 from Aaron Rodgers, now Brett Farve’s heir apparent or 42 and 6 from new 49er QB Alex Smith.
Ironically, that same draft report on Orlovsky said that Smith reminded scouts of Joey Harrington. So heads up 49er fans, this could be you in three years. If he’s not the answer, wait a few weeks and try Jeff Garcia. Just because he was a bad fit in Cleveland doesn’t mean he’s lost the ability to play. And really Lions fans, are his numbers last year so bad when comparing them to Joey? 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Joey had 13 and 26.
Simple point, Detroit has to do something. After loading up on offense and giving him every weapon known to man, there comes a time when you have to cut your losses and let Joey go. Maybe Jeff is the answer, maybe it’s Dan. Or maybe it’s neither one. But by now, time’s up for Joey Harrington. Otherwise, if you keep building using the same blueprints, the whole building could come crashing down. |
